Hi folks. Haven't been on here since January but need some advice. I noticed the left front on my 2004 L3830 was leaking oil where the steering knuckle turns left or right on the axel assembly. I checked the axel oil and since it wasn't low continued using it. Then I noticed when I raised the front end with the FEL to use the backhoe that the entire wheel and knuckle actually dropped about 1/8" from the axel assembly, where it was leaking. Im not sure but I thought I also heard "clicking" noises when having weight in the FEL and turning and/or going over uneven ground. Now it was time to pull things apart. The first thing I was worried about was lots of metal shavings when I removed the cap at the very bottom of the knuckle assembly.Then I removed the first c-clip and pulled the short axel going from the axle assembly down to the part of the knuckle that turns the wheel. And I hope I am describing the parts well enough as I don't know their proper names. Here is where things got weird. I looked up in the assembly for the "upper" c-clip that holds the assembly to the axel housing. It turns out it was not there, neither was a spacer I believe was to go above that? I was able to pry and tap with a rubber mallet the housing off. Nothing was holding it in place. Then I noticed the funnel shaped part on the axel assembly part that the knuckle attaches to that was SUPPOSED to hold the c-clip looked like it was beat with a hammer from the bottom and the small slot that would hold the c-clip was squeezed at one place and I could see why the clip was not there...no way it could be put on. So now I'm not sure what parts are good and what is bad. The bearings seem to roll ok in the assembly but Im nor sure they are as smooth as they should be. I have not taken the small assembly on the axel that the knuckle attaches to off. And I'm wondering where all the metal chips came from. The chips are not fine but are like small flakes. I don't see obvious damage except the slightly "squeezed c-clip slot. I should also mention the left wheel all along seemed to be off camber with the bottom being tilted in slightly. Is this why? Is there any way I can repair the slot the upper c-clip goes in? I have not talked to the dealer I bought it used from last January, 100 hours ago. I'm wondering if this happened there? The owner's manual shows the original owner was changing oil and filters but that is all that is mentioned. I believe the dealer did do the big maintenance. Would this include removing the knuckle? The tractor had 1711 hours when I bought it, now it has 1815. I'm not looking forward to buying assemblies and bearings and oil seals after only 100 hours of operation. Any advice or thoughts appreciated. Thank you.
Missing C-clip in steering knuckle
- Thread starter Elliesdad717
- Start date
The metal flakes could be the missing part(s) ground up by the gears, but that is just a guess. I have witnessed high concentration of metal flakes in the axle oil due to bearing failure in the past though.
Disassembling the wheel hubs is not part of routine maintenance. Perhaps a repair were done along the line and the reassembly wasn't 100% correct.
It would help if you posted a few clear photos of the damaged parts you want the community to comment on.
If the bearings are even remotely suspect, change them. Do you really want to perform another repair because a used bearing failed?
You might find the illustrated parts section of Kubota's website helpful. Some of the drawings have a HD option available to provide better clarity.
https://apps.kubotausa.com/illustrated-parts/
Good luck!
Disassembling the wheel hubs is not part of routine maintenance. Perhaps a repair were done along the line and the reassembly wasn't 100% correct.
It would help if you posted a few clear photos of the damaged parts you want the community to comment on.
If the bearings are even remotely suspect, change them. Do you really want to perform another repair because a used bearing failed?
You might find the illustrated parts section of Kubota's website helpful. Some of the drawings have a HD option available to provide better clarity.
https://apps.kubotausa.com/illustrated-parts/
Good luck!
By all means refer to the Kubota parts breakdown. It will show you exactly which parts SHOULD be there so you know whether any spacers which appear to be missing actually are missing. It will also give part numbers for those missing parts and show the proper assembly sequence.
Thanks guys. After looking at the parts diagram there are two missing items. One is the upper c-clip and the shim that goes just above it. This is the clip that holds the entire knuckle against the bevel housing that is bolted to the end of the axle housing. I am assuming these items are the shavings. Attaching a photo of the bevel gear case showing the "squeezed" slot where the c-clip is to go. Could this have somehow been sheared off by too much weight? I did drag a huge rock from one area to another, it was heavy enough to flatten the front tires enough that air was escaping from the bead being compromised.
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Also...I am going to the dealer tomorrow with all the parts. They should be able to tell me if the bearings are ok. I did find a work receipt in my owners manual from December 2017 where the dealer replaced both front oil seals.
Saw this and had to jump in and show what I found today......my project is a tad bit older model (1980 L245DT).....hope yours in easier, and a lot less expensive!
Cheers,
Dave
Cheers,
Dave
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I'm wondering if they didn't have the snap ring fully seated in its corresponding groove. It's easy to do.
If there is that much metal in the lube. I'd replace the bearings while it is apart and easy to do unless you're on a very strict budget.
Perhaps the snap ring was installed improperly, and therefore did not stay in the groove.
Daren Todd (I think) had a thread a couple years back showing how to install them correctly.
Daren Todd (I think) had a thread a couple years back showing how to install them correctly.
Thanks again for the responses guys. I am pretty certain the snap ring not being installed properly was indeed the culprit and whats left of it is the metal flakes I found. And I definitely will be replacing the bearings that the cone slides into. Thanks for the link to properly installing the new one.
Here's a link that might help to be sure you have the retainer ring in correctly when you get to it. https://www.machinedesign.com/archive/using-retaining-rings-properly